Gunnie Types

I've mentioned in the past another hobby of mine. I used to be more active with it. Woodworking. Now woodworkers can be like Norm Abrams, all decked out in expensive new big machines with a HUGE 3 car garage to do their projects. Others have a few low end Craftsman tools and make beutiful pieces of art out of plywood. Others like to work with Japanese handtools only, and their shops resemble a Shinto temple, sparse, and almost alien to Western woodworkers. Others only carve little ships captains and they need only a saw, a pencil, and a knife or two. Others use antique handtools.

I use antique handtools. Mostly Muhrikin. Though there are a few Brit ones in there. Very few Continental tools, but I've always been enthralled with the idea of a French bisaigue. Need to get me one of those...

I was deep into the nitty gritty of tool types and eras and makers and when the quality sloughed off and when it got better. (Hey! I bet Roberta know the difference between and Irwin and a Jennings...)

But it was only recently that I absorbed the data about the significance of the S&W 5-screw revolvers. Until that, I had no idea. It's taking a while to absorb this minutia, and I don't know if I'll retain that. I don't know why. It took forever to figure out the difference between round butts and square butts, too. (On revolvers. I got the whole thing down on butt-shape for people.)

In the tool world, there are types. Collectors, Users, various degrees of both. Some concentrate on one of everything, some on one company like Disston or Stanley or Norris. Some on one tool type. I know of 2 anvil collectors. One had structural problems until he moved all of them from the living room to the basement. Some users will still use modern tools for some procedures. Some won't use anything that wasn't available before 1812.

And gunnie types are the same. There are 1911 collectors. Colt collectors. Smith and Wesson collectors. Some go for milsurp rifles of the US, every issued rifle from 1776 on.

Tool types have an issue with Gunnie types. Gunnie collectors of Winchester stuff put a higher premium/price on some tools because Winchester made some handtools for a while. Ruger made a pistol shaped hand drill.

And there are gun users, that use their race pistol to shave off time at competition. These types may LIKE the idea of a Garand, but don't own one. Other users shoot target 1000 yards away with a souped up bedded rifle. And don't even own a pistol.

And there are combinations of all three.

What am I? I am less a gun collector than I was a tool collector. That's a reason I don't have a handle of the fine bits and details yet. Plus, gun collecting is more expensive. I'm a bit of a user, but I've done no competition, just a bit of training, and I'm not even a weekly gun range goer. There is another gun type. Politico. I'm that, too, as most of us are. But again, I'm not a Snowflakes in Hell type, or even a SaysUncle.

But all I excel in in guntypes is thinking on what type a guntype various people are.